City awards CARES Act funds to community partners

August 24, 2020

Earlier this summer, the City of Greenville received over a half-million dollars through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, including $463,903 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds and $88,145 in Housing Opportunities for Person with AIDS (HOPWA) funds. The City solicited applications from local human service providers to administer the funding, which is intended to be used to assist households directly impacted by COVID-19 and may not duplicate assistance received from other organizations.

The City recently awarded CDBG fund grants to the following organizations:

  • Greenville County Human Relations Commission ($389,803)    ​

$189,803 will be used for up to six months of mortgage assistance ($2,000 maximum per recipient), $150,000 will be used for up to six months of rent and utility assistance, $40,000 will be used to provide fair housing counseling to individuals experiencing landlord/tenant issues related to possible evictions due to COVID-19 and $10,000 will be used to provide free financial counseling for individuals receiving mortgage, rent and utility assistance. All of the funds and services are limited to city residents impacted by COVID-19.

  • United Ministries ($56,000)          

$50,000 will be used to provide up to six months of rent and utility assistance, $5,000 will be used to purchase PPE for employees and use at United Ministries facilities and $1,000 will be used for changes to operations/expansion of services at United Ministries facilities. All of the funds are limited to city residents impacted by COVID-19 and use in facilities located within the city of Greenville.

  • United Housing Connections ($8,100)

$5,600 will be used to purchase a security system for Reedy Place, which features 15 units for the chronically homeless with a serious mental illness, and $2,500 will be used for PPE and COVID-19 education for the homeless.

  • Project Host ($10,000)

$5,000 will be used to provide meals at the soup kitchen and $5,000 will be used to provide meals through a mobile food truck.

 The City also awarded HOPWA funds to AID Upstate ($81,045) and Upper Savannah Care Services ($7,100) for clients in Greenville, Anderson, Pickens and Laurens counties who are living with HIV/AIDs. The funds will be used to support tenant-based rental assistance, short-term rental, mortgage and utility assistance and food assistance.

Residents who need rent, mortgage and utility assistance can contact the Greenville County Human Relations Commission or United Ministries directly or call the United Way of Greenville County Resource Line at 211. Operators are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. To qualify, residents must meet household income requirements and be able to prove that their household has been impacted financially by COVID-19.